| Here are poems able to draw both tears and laughter, as they express unrepressed spirit in two different yet authentic voices-one Aunt Amelia as channeled by her niece Esther, the other that of Stenson herself. From the ashes of a family fire, Aunt Amelia's voice rises-first desperate, then questing and sceptical, wondering where in the world to find God. She never dreamed she would follow a stranger far afield from her Amish cradle. But the voice of the Spirit called louder than tradition. From Big Valley Pennsylvania to Virginia, to Florida, even Sarasota Mennonites could not keep her from the mesmerizing ministry of a fiery African American evangelist who finally settled in California. The first part of the book reflects her journey, her voice. The second voice is that of her niece, poet Esther Stenson, who formed her own identity in places outside the safety of freundschafft and tradition-keeping her feet on the ground, with her ear turned spiritward and her eyes open in tenderness toward all things created. Copyright 2009 Cascadia Publishing House |